<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Appreciation by trekwars777</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28780707">Appreciation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/trekwars777/pseuds/trekwars777'>trekwars777</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Phasma has a feminine side, based off of a song, is it crack? We don’t know., phasma is alive</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:13:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,662</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28780707</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/trekwars777/pseuds/trekwars777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When the First Order decides to hold a talent night, Captain Phasma surprises everyone with a completely unexpected performance.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Appreciation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is based off of Ann-Margret’s performance of “Appreciation” in Viva Las Vegas. It lives rent free in my head but I don’t mind.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Kylo Ren was told that morale was declining among everyone, he began to scheme up a plot to make sure it would go up. After all, high morale meant less chance for any uprisings or a repeat of the FN-2187 incident. But when he suggested a talent show, everyone thought he was out of his mind- especially when he began passing around a sheet of paper for people to sign up with their act of choice. </p><p>“A talent show?! What sort of juvenile nonsense is this?” blustered Captain Canady. <br/><br/></p><p>“I concur!” piped up General Hux. “We have no need for these sort of games! And might I remind you, Ren, that there is a war going on?” Kylo stared him down, narrowing his eyes in frustration. Heck, if he had lasers in his eyes, the poor general would probably be disintegrated. <br/><br/></p><p>“If stormtroopers go AWOL because of low morale, there might not be a First Order. And I don’t suppose you’d want to go into battle yourself, am I right, Armitage B. Hux?” Kylo rebutted with a smirk. Hux sighed and admitted defeat. Maybe Kylo was right, in some perverse way. But there was no reason for him to make a fool of himself on stage in front of his coworkers. <br/><br/></p><p>“I’ll prepare my routine today,” the General replied, walking back to his chair after he signed the paper. It then circled around the table, with people adding their names and their potential act, before reaching Captain Phasma. From under her helmet, her eyes scanned down the different names on the list. Unamo was going to dance, Mitaka would be playing piano, Peavey would do a recitation... all that needed to happen was for her to add her name. Smiling to herself, she uncapped the pen and wrote down “Captain Phasma- burlesque” with a flourish. <br/><br/></p><p>“Wonderful!” Kylo said, reading the list silently to himself. “Now remember, we’ve got a month and a half to prepare for this, so get your acts ready! Meeting dismissed.” People flooded out of the conference room and chattered amongst each other about their different plans- or their disapproval at the idea. Phasma stopped at her quarters and gave her cats, Pudge and Miu Miu, a scratch behind the ears before shucking her armor. <br/><br/></p><p>“I have something that’s going to shock them all,” Phasma giggled conspiratorially. “They won’t know what hit them.” She then got her bathrobe and put on a holorecord of a song. <br/><br/></p><p><em>Mother brought me up as a good little girl/And mother was always right, </em>the vocalist sang from the holo, and Phasma listened intently, singing along at times. As soon as the music kicked in, she began to dance as well as sing in harmony with the recording. Both Pudge and Miu Miu weaved between her legs and watched her with curiosity, especially when she slid her bathrobe off and strutted around the living area, returning with two big fans with pink feathers. The music changed from slow and saucy to a upbeat rhumba. Setting the fans aside, the Captain danced exuberantly to the beat until the tempo changed. Improvising a grand finale, she belted out the moral of her story about appreciation before striking a pose with her fans. </p><p>“So, how is it?” she asked the cats, who were laying down on the floor. <br/><br/></p><p>“Plrrrrp,” Miu Miu answered, rolling over to show her human her tummy. Phasma smiled and crouched down to pet the cat. <br/><br/></p><p>“I know, it’s a work in progress,” she said, walking over to her dressing area to put her casual clothes on before dinner. “Still, I can’t wait for the show to come already. They’re gonna be so surprised.” <br/><br/></p><p>As the weeks passed, the show’s performers continued rehearsing and perfecting their acts for the show. During the recreation period, Unamo was seen using the edge of a console as a barre to warm up for her dancing, and General Hux was caught marking sheet music and moving his fingers in an odd way. The sounds of a piano (along with a few grunts of annoyance) emitted from Mitaka’s quarters. Most surprising were Canady and Peavey- Canady silently imitated being trapped in a box, while Peavey recited something grandiose about a Chiss with a name that seemed impossible to pronounce. And still, all eyes were on Phasma, who was caught singing and swaying her hips while she walked. (Some troopers even mentioned seeing her appear to dance while in her heavy armor!) They all agreed to meet once a week to put together the show’s order and get feedback for their different performances, leading up to the dress rehearsal for the show. </p><p>At the moment, it seemed that everything was going off without a hitch. While Cardinal sang a pop song about a beach vacation on Scarif, Phasma prepared herself backstage. Although she quite literally had on her robe and workout clothes, she would try to make her performance as glamorous as she dreamed it would be. Taking a deep breath, she prepared her fans and handed the music to the droid. Cardinal bowed, the curtains closed, and Phasma was announced to be next. It was then that Phasma’s secret was out. For the most part, everyone was surprised and quite impressed with her dancing- everyone except Captain Canady. <br/><br/></p><p>“Captain, I am shocked and saddened by this behavior!” he gasped as soon as she finished her routine. Kylo rolled his eyes and set down his quarterstaff before walking over to Canady.<br/><br/></p><p>“Lighten up, Cap,” he said. “So what if Phasma’s routine’s more like something you’d see at a Canto Bight casino?” <br/><br/></p><p>“It’s unprofessional!” he retorted, looking at Hux. “Your father knows her, what would he think of this?” Hux started to think, trying to come up with a suitable answer for the man. <br/><br/></p><p>“Look, all I know is that he met her, dumped her at a finishing school, and then she joined the First Order ,” Armitage replied, checking the condition of his saxophone. “It doesn’t matter if she’s singing opera or playing the harp, it’s her routine.”<br/><br/>“I agree,” Cardinal called out, even though he and Phasma didn’t see eye to eye. “She’s a good dancer and has a nice voice. Why stop her from doing that?” </p><p>“Let her dance!” Unamo called while she was practicing en pointe. Admitting defeat, Canady sighed. <br/><br/></p><p>“Very well,” he replied, arranging his props he was rehearsing with. “I suppose I’m not one to judge, especially with what I’m doing.” Everyone applauded and Phasma smiled lightly, making sure to be respectful during Canady’s rehearsal. That night, everyone was in anticipation for the following evening’s performance, especially Phasma. <br/><br/></p><p>“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first annual First Order Officer’s Variety Show!” a colonel announced to the crowd of applauding stormtroopers and officers. “And now, I’d like to introduce our very first act, Kylo Ren and his feats of strength! On with the show!” <br/><br/></p><p>As the applause died down, intense music began pounding out through the speakers, and Ren marched out onstage with his quarterstaff and assorted weapons. Everyone had to agree that the best part of his act was when he worked with his lightsaber and did one impressive stunt after the other. Kylo bowed low and ran off backstage, still feeling the high from his performance rushing through him. <br/><br/></p><p>Meanwhile, Phasma waited backstage, excited and a bit nervous to perform. Yes, Canady did agree to letting her still perform, but what would the others think? Would she still be taken seriously? As her turn drew nearer and nearer, her pulse began to race, until at last, the public was applauding for Cardinal. <br/><br/></p><p>“Can we get a single spotlight, please?” the emcee asked, and the lights dimmed low. Soon, he was bathed in a circle of light and lowered his voice an octave or so. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, we have quite the treat for you. Let me introduce to you, our own Captain Cora Phasma performing ‘Appreciation.’” Phasma took a deep breath, slipped on the officer’s greatcoat she was to wear, and walked onstage. The curtains opened on a dark stage, and then a single spotlight shone on her. <br/><br/></p><p><em>Mother brought me up as a good little girl/And mother was always right, </em>Phasma sang, pivoting to face the audience. <em><a href="https://youtu.be/7eZihw-XmQY">She said “respect your elders as you should, little girl/It pays to be polite. Remember, it pays to be polite.”</a> </em>The music then kicked into gear, and Phasma fluttered the fans she held, before singing about her escapades with the wealthy. For the most part, the audience was surprised to watch her dance, sometimes letting out a few whoops of appreciation. Once the song then hit the bridge, the captain shucked off the coat and revealed her costume- a shining silver corset with matching black satin shorts! She whirled around the stage, flirting with the audience while she danced in time with the music. At the end, she then placed the greatcoat back on and preened with her fans, singing the last lines about appreciation, ending with a flirty pose. She was then greeted with wild applause, to which she bowed appreciatively before heading backstage. </p><p>At the final curtain call, you can definitely guess who got the loudest applause of the acts! No one, not even Captain Phasma herself, could deny that the talent show was a superb idea. And soon, it became a yearly and beloved First Order tradition. <br/><br/></p><p>First Annual First Order Officer’s Talent Show!</p><p>Program </p><p>Master of Ceremonies: Lieutenant Terence Vexon</p><p>Kylo Ren- Feats of strength </p><p>Dopheld Mitaka- Piano Concerto No. 2- “Ice Floes of Hoth”</p><p>Moden Canady- Recitation: “Thrawn Triumphant” </p><p>Nastia Unamo- “Presentation of the Queen of Naboo,” from <em>The Phantom Menace</em></p><p>Armitage Hux- Saxophone: “Arkanis Academy March,” and “Cantonica Blues” </p><p>Cardinal- “Surfin’ Scarif”</p><p>Captain Phasma- “Appreciation:” A Burlesque Fable </p><p>Moden Canady- Mime performance, “A Mountebank with His Hat” </p><p>Thannison- “Beyond the Outer Rim” </p><p>Enric Pryde- “Aria: In this, my finest hour” from <em>The Legend of Tarkin</em></p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>